“Down in the dumps, much?”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Friday, August 11, 2023
Psalm 88 (Forward, p. 13) CEV p. 609
It has been said that there is a psalm that fits every mood and every situation, and this one certainly ‘fits’ the mood and situation of those who are severely depressed. I’m afraid that our author can see nothing good, nothing at all, in his life as it then existed, and certainly that is how many of those who are burdened with chronic depression can feel.
Here are some of his ramblings about how he feels:
-he feels like he’s close to death and as good as dead;
-he feels completely helpless, a prisoner who cannot escape;
-he feels that this is all on account of God’s actions: God has
put him in this situation;
-furthermore, he is convinced that God is angry with him; God’s
anger rolls over him like ocean waves or like a flood. He is
shattered by God’s furious attacks which come every day and
from every side;
-and further to this, God’s anger has turned friends & neighbours
against him;
-and, in all this, he has received no answer to his concerted and
persistent prayers. He feels deserted and rejected by God;
-darkness is now his own companion.
So, what can be said concerning this? There is one thing that is certain. In spite of God’s seeming rejection, he hasn’t given up on God—even if it ‘seems’ as if God has given up on him:
-he prays every day (verse 9a);
-he prays at night (verse 1);
-he prays each morning (verse 13).
And so, there certainly is hope for better things, hope for an answer from God, and trust that God is there for him and will answer his prayers.
And certainly, Jesus’ words in the context of the persistent widow (see Luke 18:7-8) underlie the conviction that God will most certainly hear the prayers of those who come to Him in prayer.
And then there is an interesting idea by Derek Kidner, though it is something of a conjecture. If it’s author, identified as Heman the Ezrahite is the Heman who was the leader of the Korahite guild of songwriters and musicians, as also suggested in the psalm’s title, then this self-same person later went on to quite a storied and illustrious career.
From my study of ‘the saints’, and particularly the mystics, I find that a ‘dark night of the soul’—often for months or years—was often part of their spiritual journal, part of their pilgrimage of faith. And yet, they persisted, never losing hope that God was there for them—even though they saw absolutely no evidence of it—and eventually broke through to a glorious sunshine beyond that darkness. And, even for myself, I, after my incredible rosy days as a beginning adult Christian, where miracles seemed at every turn and there was a warm glow of joy and anticipation, I went through years and years of darkness, a veritable desert of the soul that was graced only by an occasional oasis. And yet, this was a needed learning process for me, namely, to learn not to be dependent on either feelings or results, but simply to trust God, and trust that God was there for me, independently of either. It was a hard but necessary lesson. Maybe it was one that Heman, down in the dumps as he was, went through as well.
Forward notes: “My friend and my neighbour you have put away from me, and darkness is my only companion” (verse 19).
“During our lives, there are times when the light seems to be gone. We see no way forward; our hopes are crashed; we feel deserted, and it is hard to go on. These are the ‘dark nights of the soul,’ to which spiritual writers allude. If not depression, then they are the ‘no way out’ times.
“I remember the bleakest time of my priesthood. I had served a parish as well as I could, and our relationship still ended. I felt abandoned by God, rejected by God’s people, and remembered no more. And darkness felt like my only companion. I could have prayed Psalm 88 over and over, like a mantra of hopelessness. Some of the psalms are like that. It is what makes them so irresistible and compelling. They give no quarter to false hope and Pollyannaish wishes.
“In these times, we don’t need to hear false cheer—from friends or family or even Scripture. Sometimes we must be in the shadows, and Psalm 88 is our theme song for those moments. The light is still there, even when we
feel shrouded and forsaken. Don’t skip over the darkness. God is still there.”
Moving Forward: “Revisit the psalms, even the difficult ones.”